Have you been able to present this plan to an actual member of congress, House or Senate? Or how about finding another "Champion" with a big megaphone, say Oprah, Bill Maher, Sixty Minutes, etc.
In my 30 years working in the employee benefits consulting industry (and covering the Clinton Administration's healthcare reform effort before that, as a business journalist), I've seen and read everything that's surfaced in the effort to control costs and improve outcomes. And I do mean everything. Pretty much everything employers - even the largest, most committed ones - have tried has failed. Every business that's been built to "solve" part of the problem with health care, and every well-intentioned collaboration (check out "Haven," a joint venture between Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan) has either added costs with little benefit or failed spectacularly.
I could write reams on this, but I'll stop here.
What you, Mitch, have put together here is the most comprehensive and honest approach I've ever seen. I don't know who you worked with on this but you've covered every angle, considered every problem, and been realistic. (You might have missed how to help the consultants who will be out of a job. LOL.)
Now, how do we move this forward? As someone in the 55 - 65 age bracket, I can tell you that my insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs are killing me (ACA marketplace plan through BCBS-TX, and no government subsidy for me... while my taxes help pay for coverage and tax breaks for others), so I have a real vested interest in this. But setting that aside, I've been arguing for more than 30 years (since I gave my first speech on the topic) that our healthcare system was ailing - I just never imagined all those years ago that we'd allow it to get this bad.
How can I help. (Just don't tell me to write my Senators and Representative: Mine are useless.)
Due to the length of the articles and how time-stretched many folks are, the segment summaries is a great idea ! Another suggestion: a Key Takeways section as a hook at the start, to incent a read now or later, and another at the end - followed by any call(s) to action.
Have had similar conversations (lacking your extensive detail) with seemingly intelligent people about medical care and hunger in America. When they listen closely enough to understand, and are intelligent enough, they usually come to realize that there is no sane reason for Americans to lack adequate food and health care, considering how wealthy this country is.
Lack of will is the cause of almost every plan about anything good or positive being put into place. Apparently, evil and indifference have more will.
Well reasoned, but I think you need to consider the power of insurance companies and pharmaceutical lobbies over Congress. They will fight tooth and nail and they have lots of money to influence (read "bribe") Congress.
Kathleen, insurers can continue to sell private, supplemental policies (which is what's done in many other countries), and they'll save money by no longer haggling with hospital/health care systems over pricing. Pharmaceutical companies will be fine since they'll get greater funding for researching new medications.
That is very true. But your problem is with the for-profit companies, and their stockholders, who stand to make a lot less profit off of significantly shrunk revenues. They will not save that much in cost cutting of admin staff. The stock of these companies will probably collapse on the stock market. It would work so much better if they were all non-for-profits instead.
It's common sense. Going down the path we've been on for so long is pure wastefulness as the numbers show. It's been known all along that the overhead was eating up dumpster loads of cash. That money could have been spent on clinicians, not paper pushers.
50 years ago when Tri Care was being instituted in military medicine, my father said it would be the death knell for our military spending. DoD did it anyway.
Yesterday would have been a better time to start, but today and tomorrow are our next options. Wouldn't it be nice if we had the coordination of governmental entities and political influencers all aligned to make this happen?
Of course. Your rationale proves it and could be used as a forcing mechanism to go in that direction by showing the way. A side by side comparison with a nation that has followed something similar could/ should convince enough people in position of influence to at least trying it.
Maybe it's time to dump the data into an AI generated model and let it rip...?
It's never too late to start a new and better path.
The current model has continually shown it has excessive costs with worse outcomes. Those costs, as your research has shown, are increasing at an increasing rate. That's the definition of fiscal insanity. Unsustainable and tainted with corruption is purely ugly and well beyond merely wasteful.
*
Trump will likely rant and raise hell calling it akin to communism unless somebody could convince him it was his idea ... ☺
Here's the thing: Trump and his administration are not part of the solution. Every policy they make and everything they do is designed to maximize health insurance company profits along with the profits of all corporate players in the health care industry. Nothing happens until he and those who are drinking his Kool-Aid are gone.
Yes, Sir. It's just that I, as ignorant to the political game as I am and prone to dreaming of better things for all of our people, still believe in the power of ideas that CAN work for the benefit of all.
My big picture ideals are not as grounded in absolute profit and gains for cronyism as the current administration is. Their eyes are not focused on the pursuit of our national happiness as mine are. I guess if I had been focused more on greed, I could be right there slurping up the Kool-Aid, too. (I'm more of a GatorAde team player myself.)
But, as I'm just a regular old anti-Trumper since 1978, I refuse to change, for all the obvious reasons.
After this current administration leaves everything trashed, the rest of us get to go and pick up the pieces and then your model of efficiency in health care can be put into place.
I hope I live long enough to see it. As you say, nothing happens until they all leave.
It requires a Congress that can actually get things done over a 10-year period, which in and of itself is asking a lot. Especially when you take into consideration new presidents and new elected officials with different agendas. But it's a solution that would work if given a chance. And it's a solution that we need to have happen.
What the veterans healthcare system and their role in education of health care professionals?
Have you been able to present this plan to an actual member of congress, House or Senate? Or how about finding another "Champion" with a big megaphone, say Oprah, Bill Maher, Sixty Minutes, etc.
In my 30 years working in the employee benefits consulting industry (and covering the Clinton Administration's healthcare reform effort before that, as a business journalist), I've seen and read everything that's surfaced in the effort to control costs and improve outcomes. And I do mean everything. Pretty much everything employers - even the largest, most committed ones - have tried has failed. Every business that's been built to "solve" part of the problem with health care, and every well-intentioned collaboration (check out "Haven," a joint venture between Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan) has either added costs with little benefit or failed spectacularly.
I could write reams on this, but I'll stop here.
What you, Mitch, have put together here is the most comprehensive and honest approach I've ever seen. I don't know who you worked with on this but you've covered every angle, considered every problem, and been realistic. (You might have missed how to help the consultants who will be out of a job. LOL.)
Now, how do we move this forward? As someone in the 55 - 65 age bracket, I can tell you that my insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs are killing me (ACA marketplace plan through BCBS-TX, and no government subsidy for me... while my taxes help pay for coverage and tax breaks for others), so I have a real vested interest in this. But setting that aside, I've been arguing for more than 30 years (since I gave my first speech on the topic) that our healthcare system was ailing - I just never imagined all those years ago that we'd allow it to get this bad.
How can I help. (Just don't tell me to write my Senators and Representative: Mine are useless.)
Due to the length of the articles and how time-stretched many folks are, the segment summaries is a great idea ! Another suggestion: a Key Takeways section as a hook at the start, to incent a read now or later, and another at the end - followed by any call(s) to action.
Have had similar conversations (lacking your extensive detail) with seemingly intelligent people about medical care and hunger in America. When they listen closely enough to understand, and are intelligent enough, they usually come to realize that there is no sane reason for Americans to lack adequate food and health care, considering how wealthy this country is.
Lack of will is the cause of almost every plan about anything good or positive being put into place. Apparently, evil and indifference have more will.
Well reasoned, but I think you need to consider the power of insurance companies and pharmaceutical lobbies over Congress. They will fight tooth and nail and they have lots of money to influence (read "bribe") Congress.
Kathleen, insurers can continue to sell private, supplemental policies (which is what's done in many other countries), and they'll save money by no longer haggling with hospital/health care systems over pricing. Pharmaceutical companies will be fine since they'll get greater funding for researching new medications.
Seriously, Mitch has really thought this through.
That is very true. But your problem is with the for-profit companies, and their stockholders, who stand to make a lot less profit off of significantly shrunk revenues. They will not save that much in cost cutting of admin staff. The stock of these companies will probably collapse on the stock market. It would work so much better if they were all non-for-profits instead.
Most hospitals are categorized as not-for-profit, but that doesn't mean anything... just look at their executive pay structures.
It's common sense. Going down the path we've been on for so long is pure wastefulness as the numbers show. It's been known all along that the overhead was eating up dumpster loads of cash. That money could have been spent on clinicians, not paper pushers.
50 years ago when Tri Care was being instituted in military medicine, my father said it would be the death knell for our military spending. DoD did it anyway.
Yesterday would have been a better time to start, but today and tomorrow are our next options. Wouldn't it be nice if we had the coordination of governmental entities and political influencers all aligned to make this happen?
Of course. Your rationale proves it and could be used as a forcing mechanism to go in that direction by showing the way. A side by side comparison with a nation that has followed something similar could/ should convince enough people in position of influence to at least trying it.
Maybe it's time to dump the data into an AI generated model and let it rip...?
It's never too late to start a new and better path.
The current model has continually shown it has excessive costs with worse outcomes. Those costs, as your research has shown, are increasing at an increasing rate. That's the definition of fiscal insanity. Unsustainable and tainted with corruption is purely ugly and well beyond merely wasteful.
*
Trump will likely rant and raise hell calling it akin to communism unless somebody could convince him it was his idea ... ☺
Here's the thing: Trump and his administration are not part of the solution. Every policy they make and everything they do is designed to maximize health insurance company profits along with the profits of all corporate players in the health care industry. Nothing happens until he and those who are drinking his Kool-Aid are gone.
Yes, Sir. It's just that I, as ignorant to the political game as I am and prone to dreaming of better things for all of our people, still believe in the power of ideas that CAN work for the benefit of all.
My big picture ideals are not as grounded in absolute profit and gains for cronyism as the current administration is. Their eyes are not focused on the pursuit of our national happiness as mine are. I guess if I had been focused more on greed, I could be right there slurping up the Kool-Aid, too. (I'm more of a GatorAde team player myself.)
But, as I'm just a regular old anti-Trumper since 1978, I refuse to change, for all the obvious reasons.
After this current administration leaves everything trashed, the rest of us get to go and pick up the pieces and then your model of efficiency in health care can be put into place.
I hope I live long enough to see it. As you say, nothing happens until they all leave.
Keep up the good work. We'll need it.
Quite the Novella, interesting
It requires a Congress that can actually get things done over a 10-year period, which in and of itself is asking a lot. Especially when you take into consideration new presidents and new elected officials with different agendas. But it's a solution that would work if given a chance. And it's a solution that we need to have happen.